


Partner

by Beotkkot



Category: Transformers: Prime, Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-29 06:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13921215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beotkkot/pseuds/Beotkkot
Summary: Bumblebee reflects on the time he gained a new partner and how they didn't really get along.





	Partner

“Where is he?” Fourteen year old Mae Esquivel asked herself.  
She pulled her sweater closer to her body as she looked around for her younger brother. A frown made its way to her face.  
“Rafael when I get my hands on you…” she muttered in frustration, tucking a lock of her short brown hair behind her ear.   
Mae froze. Her large hazel eyes widened as she watched her beloved little brother run for his life as a purple and black sports car sped after him. She let out a shocked breath. Unconsciously, her feet began moving towards the boy at a quick speed. She looked around and grabbed a broken piece of a pipe. Growling, Mae rushed and threw the pipe at the car, successfully causing it to screech and swerve to a halt. Raf cried out as the bumper of the speeding vehicle smacked against him. The impact caused him to fly and land on the concrete with a pain filled grunt. Mae gasped sharply as she watched the car transform into a giant robot.   
“R-Rafael!” she screamed, stumbling back.  
Raf whirled as he got up, gasping as he saw his sister cower in fear of the giant decepticon.  
“M-Mae!” He cried. “Bumblebee!!”  
Soon enough, a yellow and black Urbana 500 came speeding over at an overwhelming speed. It suddenly transformed into a robot just like the other. Mae began to feel overwhelmed. Her head started to spin as she trembled. Bumblebee punched the decepticon as Raf bolted towards his sister. He reached her in time to half catch her as she passed out.  
“Mae!” he called in worry, the older sibling having fainted from shock.  
He bit his lip as the pain from being hit by the decepticon finally washed over him. 'I guess the adrenaline and seeing Mae kept it from me until now…’ he thought to himself and winced. He held his sister close, looking up as Bumblebee managed to take down the decepticon.  
:Let's go!: Bumblebee beeped as he transformed.  
Raf nodded and struggled to stand with his sister. He gave a small cry.  
“I-I can't Bee. I-It hurts…” he whimpered.  
Bumblebee let out a few concerned whirs before returning back to his bot mode. He slowly lifted the two siblings into his servos. As gently as possible, the yellow and black bot transformed around them. Raf let out a slight gagging sound as he shot a hand to his mouth.  
“Thanks Bee…” he muttered.  
: Sorry!: The autobot replied.  
Raf sighed and leaned back before looking at his sister. He bit his lip.  
:You know her Raf?: Bumblebee asked.  
“Mhm..” Raf sounded. “She's my big sister… Mae.”  
:Cool!:  
Raf didn't respond, frowning worriedly at his sister. Why was she here? Shouldn't she have been in class? Raf sighed once more as Bumblebee drove to base.

“Another human?!” Ratchet exclaimed. The red and white autobot medic scowled in anger. “When Optimus hears about this, he will not be pleased-!”  
“Why will I not be pleased, Ratchet?” A deep baritone voice asked.  
Optimus approached with a raised eyebrow. Ratchet huffed and pointed to Bumblebee and Raf.  
“They brought another human here!” He complained.  
Raf and Bumblebee looked very guilty.  
“She’s my sister. She saw me getting chased by a decepticon.” Raf said quietly. “She tried to save me by hitting it with a pipe.”  
“Haha! She's brave! I like her.” Bulkhead said as he approached.  
Optimus frowned and looked over Mae.  
“She does not look as if she is injured.” he commented.  
Raf shook his head.  
“She just fainted. She’ll be okay.” he said.  
Just then, Mae let out a faint groan as her eyes fluttered open. She sat up slowly, placing a hand to her head.  
“Nngh… where am i?” she muttered.  
“Mae?” Raf called softly. “You okay?”  
His sister snapped her head towards the sound of his voice. Raf placed a hand on her back in concern before she pulled him into a tight hug.  
“You’re okay…” she whispered.  
Raf smiled at this and returned the hug, hiding a wince.  
“Y-Yeah. I’m okay, sis.”  
“Rafael, you are injured.” the voice of Optimus Prime echoed.  
Mae tensed then looked up at the autobots.   
“Oh… My..-”  
“Mae it's okay!” Raf hastily interrupted. “These are my friends and ...this is where I've been going after school.”  
Mae gulped and nodded. She looked to Bumblebee before her eyes widened.  
“Th-that’s the car!” she exclaimed. “The car that picks you up all the time!”  
Bumblebee waved.   
:Hello there! I'm Bumblebee.: He sounded.  
“H-Hi, Bumblebee...” she responded.  
Raf and Bumblebee looked happy as the others gazed at them in shock.   
“You can understand Bee!” Raf said in excitement. “Only I can other than the bots.”  
Mae nodded.  
“So...who are all of you?” she asked.  
Optimus approached then gave her a warm smile before offering his hand. Mae slowly climbed on as Optimus brought her to his face.   
“My name is Optimus Prime. I am the leader here. You've already met Bumblebee. That is our medic Ratchet-.” The mentioned white and red bot waved dismissively as he treated Raf. Optimus pointed to the larger dark green bot and the smaller blue one. “And that is Bulkhead and Arcee.”  
Mae nodded shyly. Optimus placed her back down with her brother before looking at Bumblebee.   
“Bumblebee, do you mind having more than one charge? If it is too much for you, Mae could be with Ratchet.” he said.  
Ratchet looked horrified at this and whirled to BUmblebee. The yellow bot waved his servo.  
:I got this.: he said as he looked to Mae.  
The young girl was listening to her brother as he eagerly told her about their previous adventures. Mae watched him with a smile on her face, her eyes drooping slightly. She curled on the couch subconsciously then unwilling drifted off. Raf looked surprised for a moment before a soft smile made its way to his face. He gently patted her head before turning back to the bots.  
“She hasn’t been getting enough sleep lately. My mom and dad are on vacation with the rest of our family and Mae offered to stay behind with me. With all of her classes and taking care of me, I know it’s been harding on her.” Raf muttered, feeling slightly guilty. Bumblebee transformed and opened his door, silently offering them a ride home. Raf smiled before looking at his sister, only to blink in surprise as Optimus gently lifted her and placed her in Bumblebee’s back seat.   
“Thanks Optimus.” Raf smiled before climbing in. “See you all tomorrow!”  
And with that, Bumblebee drove his two charges back to their home.  
The next morning, Mae found herself waking to the smell of pancakes. She blinked repeatedly and sat up, moving her short hair from her face. She slowly got up before grabbing her sweater and walking to the kitchen.  
“Raf? Please tell me you’re not burning down the house? Mama would be very upset.” she said as she walked in.  
Raf chuckled a little as he placed down a plate of pancakes in front of his sister, causing the girl to blink in surprise.  
“No.” he said. “But I figured since you do so much for me, that I should at least do the same for you. I-I really do appreciate what you do for me, Mae.”  
The older looked at him as tears made their way into her hazel eyes. She pulled her brother into a tight hug, successfully causing the boy to yelp in surprise.  
“This means a lot, Raf. Thanks…” she whispered.  
Raf smiled softly and closed his eyes, leaning into the warm hug. He was happy that he had someone in his family that he could finally hang out with. 

Mae walked around the base then approached Ratchet. It’s been a few weeks since Mae learned of the autobots and so far it’s been great! Well… sort of. Mae let out a soft sad sigh. Bumblebee was her partner but he didn’t necessarily like hanging out with the older of the siblings. She didn’t enjoy the things Bumblebee and Raf did. She sighed once more.   
“Mae?” Ratchet’s voice broke her from her thoughts. “Are you alright?”  
MAe looked up and gave a half hearted smile. The medic bot placed his hand down for her to climb on. She and the normally grumpy autobot had grown to be quite good friends due to Bumblebee often ditching her to hang with Raf and Miko. She climbed on, bowing her head as she desperately tried to hide her tears. Ratchet brought her up tp his face and frowned a little when he noticed Mae’s shoulders shaking.  
“Mae..?” he asked softly.  
To be completely honest, Ratchet wanted her to hurry and tell him before the others returned or noticed that he was being nice. He knew he would never be able to live it down if Miko found out. The mere thought caused him to shudder. Mae sniffled.  
“Am I… that bad?” she whispered.  
Ratchet frowned and watched her as she rubbed her eyes.  
“Why are you asking that?” he asked.  
“W-why does Bumblebee not like me? I know I’m different but.. I didn’t know being so different was wrong..”   
Ratchet’s frown deepened. The young scout wasn’t normally rude to the humans or even the bots. He was a genuinely nice mech.   
“Why do you think that?” he asked softly.  
Mae let out a shaky sigh.  
“Bumblebee and Raf like playing video games while I don’t particularly like them. Everything he seems to find interesting.. I don’t. Maybe I’m overreacting or reading too much into this…” she whispered.  
Ratchet only grunted as he placed her on top of his shoulder.  
“You have every right to think that way. Have you talked to him or Optimus?” he asked as he began working.  
Mae shook her head.   
“No.. I-I didn’t want him to get in trouble and.. He won’t even talk to me….”   
Ratchet quietly growled. Why was Bumblebee acting this way? This isn’t his usual behavior and it deeply bothered Ratchet. Maybe he should speak with Optimus. He looked over as he heard the sound of Bumblebee’s engine approaching. Raf got out of the yellow autobot, laughing while the scout transformed. Arcee and Bulkhead soon followed as their charges ran up to Raf. Miko, a Japanese exchange student, rushed and glomped the young Hispanic boy.  
“What? No detention today, Miko?” Raf teased.  
The girl pouted. A teen with jet black hair laughed at her reaction before ruffling Raf’s hair affectionately.  
“What about you Raf?” he asked. “No after school clubs?”  
Raf shook his head. “Not today, Jack. Hey where’s Mae? She wasn’t at school today.”  
The two others frowned. Their guardians looked to Bumblebee who wasn’t exactly paying attention.  
“Where’s Mae, Bee?” Arcee asked.  
The said bot looked over and gave her a shrug.  
:I don’t know.: He responded.  
The two frowned.   
“She's your charge, Bee.” Bulkhead said, frowning deeply at the young bot. “You need to take care of her.”  
: She's nothing like me though! You and Miko are alike, Jack and Arcee are similar, Raf and I are too, but Mae and I are completely different! I like to have fun while she's boring and doesn't like it. She dissed our video games and-:  
“Bumblebee!” Optimus said sternly as he approached.  
Mae whimpered as she processed the words Bumblebee said. Was she that bad? She knew she had been different from the rest of the team, having different interests and sort of distant, but it wasn't that bad. Was it? Ratchet transformed after he placed Mae down. “I'll take you home.”   
Mae looked at Bumblebee with teary orbs, making the autobot widened his bright blue optics, before she climbed into Ratchet. The medic drove off and out of the base.  
“Bumblebee, how could you say such a thing?” Optimus asked. “You deeply upset Mae.”  
:Optimus I-:  
The leader interrupted Bumblebee. “Just because you do not have similar interests does not mean you cannot be friends or at least be kind to one another. You and I are different. So are you and Bulkhead. You have a different interest than all of us, especially Ratchet. Yet we are all of your friends.”  
:No… you’re family..:  
“Then how come Mae can not be apart of our family?”  
Bumblebee tensed at Optimus’ question. Had he really made it seem that way? The more he thought about it, the more Bumblebee felt like a lowly decepti-creep.   
:I didn't mean….:  
“I know, Bumblebee.”  
: I'm sorry...dad..:  
Optimus only nodded as Bumblebee transformed and opened his door for Raf. The young boy hurriedly jumped and strapped himself in securely. The autobot then drove off hurriedly to Raf and Mae’s house. ‘I need to apologise.. I didn't mean to make Mae feel that way. Gosh I'm such an idiot…’ Bumblebee thought to himself. Raf didn't feel any better than Bumblebee did. He felt like the worst brother. Mae did so much for him and yet he completely dismissed her when she needed him the most. He could only hope that she'd forgive him. Soon, Bumblebee pulled up and parked outside.   
:Can you see if Mae will come out and talk with me?: Bumblebee asked his human friend.  
Raf nodded. “Sure.”  
He then rushed inside and went to Mae’s room.  
“Sis, I-” he paused as he noticed her form lying on the bed.  
He sighed softly and tucked her in before going back outside with his hands in his pockets.  
“She fell asleep…” he whispered.  
Bumblebee gave him a slight beep of acknowledgement as Raf went back inside.

The next morning, Raf walked out of his home and towards Bumblebee.  
:Where’s your sister?: He asked.  
Raf frowned. “I guess she already left…”  
He climbed inside the bot before Bumblebee drove off towards the base. Bumblebee sunk into deep thought as they drove. Did he ruin his chance at a friendship with Mae? Bumblebee inwardly sighed as he pulled into the base.   
“I've been standing here, waiting for a chance to say hello.  
Can't you hear me?  
I know I'm not what you want, but can you see the tears on my face?”  
Bumblebee transformed and looked on at the singing, his optics widening once he saw Mae sitting on a berth with her eyes closed. Tears slipped down her face as she continued.  
“Don't you know how much it hurts, to know that you don't care?  
It's okay, I forgive you anyway.  
Be safe and treat me kindly, that's all I want..”  
Bumblebee watched in sadness as Mae cried a bit harder as she sang. She screwed her eyes shut, unaware of the autobots approaching with her friends. Raf watched his sister with sorrow filled eyes.  
“I just want to be accepted.   
Is that okay?  
Please…  
I'm sorry that I am your mistake.”  
Raf allowed a few tears to fall as the last line rang through his ears. His sister... Really felt like she was a mistake? Didn't she know how much he loved her? He bit his lip and looked up at Jack as the older placed his hand on his shoulder. Jack nodded silently. Raf slowly made his way towards Mae as she slid down the edge of the berth. She let out a surprised gasp as she was enveloped in a tight hug by a crying Raf.  
“I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Mae-Mae! Please don't feel that way...” he cried.  
Mae furrowed her eyebrows as she placed a hand on top of his spiky brown hair. Heat suddenly settled into her cheeks, realizing that the others had heard her song.  
“Mae… you are no mistake.” Optimus said as he kneeled down. “No one is a mistake.”  
His optics were soft. Mae bit her lip.   
“We're sorry if we made you feel that way.” Bulkhead said softly to her, sending a slight glare Bumblebee's way.  
The yellow bot looked down. He honestly couldn't blame Bulkhead for being angry with him. He was angry with himself. The young scout fell to his knees and unconsciously gave a sad whir as he lowered his head. His optics widened at the small pale olive hand that slid on his hand. He looked up and met the eyes of Mae. They held a worried glance, but Bumblebee noticed the specks of pain that they tried to hide.  
:Mae…I-I..:  
Mae bit her lip slightly, nervous by the change in her guardian.  
:I-I… I'm so sorry…: Bumble sounded sadly, looking brokenly at the young girl.  
Mae looked surprised at the liquid leaking from Bumblebee's optics. Her eyes softened and she hugged one of his fingers.   
“I forgive you, Bee…”  
Bumblebee shook slightly with emotion as he gave her a single nod.  
: I should have been there for you… I've been such an idiot. You're my partner… You and Raf. I should have been more considerate on how you feel and at least...gotten to know you more…: He beeped sadly as he looked down in shame.  
Mae smiled slightly. “You're no idiot and what matters is what happens after this moment.”  
Optimus smiled warmly. “ Very true words, Mae.”  
Suddenly, the older Esquivel was tackled by her friends, laughing being the only sound eligible in the base.

 

“Wow sir! What an interesting story!” Cadet Strongarm exclaimed.  
A red autobot named Sideswipe rolled his optics.  
“Yeah yeah. So interesting.” He said sarcastically.  
He yelped in pain once Strongarm punched his arm, leading to a fight as they rolled around the dirt. Bumblebee chuckled and looked out across the water. It had been a year since the last time he saw Raf and Mae. He missed them. His partners. Bumblebee didn't know when, but he knew deep in his spark that he'd see them again and it was something he greatly looked forward to.   
'Wherever you are.. we'll find each other again. You will always be my partners.’   
Bumblebee smiled before he transformed, driving off back towards the scrap yard.  
“H-Hey! Bee!!” Sideswipe shouted.  
“Lieutenant!!” Strongarm cried.  
The two transformed and sped away after their leader.


End file.
